Things I Learned in Ecuador

For what it´s worth....

-Guinea pig really does taste just like chicken.

-The moment you take a taxi to a repair shop halfway across the city, with virtually no spanish to help you get there, your camera will instantly repair itself.

-The Ecuadorians are friendly and kind, and the taxi drivers smile and laugh while they happily rip you off with gringo prices.

-I don´t know why we don´t have pineapple with white fruit up in Canada, but it´s more delicious than Dole or Del Monte any day.

-Ecuador no longer has its own currency, and instead uses exclusively the american dollar.

-When Kiwis are ¨chucking a paddy¨, they are not being cruel to the Irish. It means they´re throwing a tantrum. One meets such interesting people on the road.

-Toilets really DO flush in opposite directions on either side of the Equator!

-Coffee in Ecuador leaves a lot to be desired. Juan Valdez would be rolling in his grave, and if he´s not dead, this coffee will kill him.

-In the churches and cathedrals of Ecuador, you never see private bits on the sculptures or in the paintings. No idea if we´re missing much.

-Toilet paper is not to be flushed in Ecuador. If you´ve never been to Mexico or further south, use your imagination.

-There´s a fierce pride and sense of responsibility by the Ecuadorians for their ownership of the Galapagos Islands.

-Follow the advice, and each your seasickness pills like Smarties.

-It´s surprisingly easy to step on a stingray on Floreana Island.

-Within days of giving birth, female sea lions will leave the pups alone on the shore for several days while they head out to sea to feed and replenish. Seems to work just fine.

-The Ecuadorians and the Peruvians dont´like each other very much.

-I´ve learned there´s only one country in the world which produces tourists who will walk up to a very sweet Spanish-only-speaking young woman working in a Quito coffee shop and demand
a ¨tall, skinny, decaf, no-foam latte!¨ And be clearly furious when they don´t get it handed to them on a platter. Think south of Canada.

-Interesting ornithological note: so far, only flamingoes and pigeons have been discovered to produce MILK for nursing their young.

-The National Museum of the Central Bank of Ecuador is a must. Finally had the opportunity
to get a sense of the art and culture of Ecuador´s indigenous peoples prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1534...brilliant. As for the Spanish, their depictions in art of the Crucifixion make Mel Gibson´s movie look like a Disney flick.

-And just when you think you´re well and truly in a foreign country, what do you find around the corner from the hotel but the ubiquitous Golden Arches and KFC! Yikes...I´ll stick to the guinea pig.

-I would visit this country again in a heartbeat.

And with that, Brian is off to Peru.